Lemon Swirl Cheesecake Food

SIMPLY PERFECT LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325F (not fan-assisted/not convection)
• Make the Crust: Add graham cracker crumbs to a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar. Pour the melted butter overtop, then stir until all the crumbs are moistened and have a wet sand texture. Add a pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter.
• *If using an 8-inch springform pan, remove 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture, as you won't need it all for the base. You can reserve to sprinkle on top of the finished cake, if you like (sprinkle around the outside edge in a ring).
• Press the moist crumb mixture into the bottom of your springform pan. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to make sure the crust is really pressed down, to make it easiest to cut later on.
• Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Leave oven on and set at 325F.
• Make the Filling: Combine the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is extremely smooth and well blended, a minute or two. Remove the lid of the food processor and scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor and try to reach under the blades if you can, to fine and incorporate any stubborn chunks of cream cheese. Process again briefly after scraping. (Getting a perfectly smooth batter at this point is important to prevent cracks in your finished cake, so take the time here to make sure it's well blended and smooth).
• Add the eggs, lemon juice and zest and a pinch of salt and keep processing until it's super smooth and creamy, another 30 seconds or so.
• Pour the filling into the baked crust *You may have some leftover filling if you are using a regular cake pan.
• Bake in preheated 325F oven until mostly set, with a little jiggle in the centre 3-4 inches, with the outsides looking set and puffy, about 20 to 30 minutes. The filling should not brown at all. Don't over-cook, as this can cause your cheesecake to crack.
• Turn the oven off and open the door a crack (inserting a wooden spoon in the crack will help it say open). Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack on the counter to cool completely.
• Once cooled completely, over the top of the springform pan with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• To serve, remove from springform pan. Topping option: citrus slices, a scattering of blueberries or blackberries, a mint leaf and a dusting of icing sugar, if you like.

LEMON SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For Crust:.
• Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Finely grind graham crackers( if using these instead of the crumbs) in food processor. Add nuts and process until coarsely chopped.
• Add butter and lemon peel; blend just until crumbs are moist.
• Press crumbs firmly onto bottom ONLY of a 9 inch diameter springform pan.
• Bake until crust is set, about 10 minutes.
• Cool crust and maintain oven temperature.
• For filling:.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemonade concentrate and lemon peel in large bowl until smooth. Beat in 3/4 cup sour cream.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined.
• Pour filling into crust and bake until the center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 50 minutes.
• Transfer cake to rack and cool 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile for topping: Whisk 1 cup sour cream in small bowl until smooth. Whisk lemon curd in small bowl until smooth.
• Run a sharp knife around sides of cake.
• Starting at outside edge of cake, spoon small alternating dollops of sour cream and lemon curd side by side in concentric circles atop warm cake, covering cake completely.
• Gently shake pan to smooth out toppings.
• Using tip of knife, gently swirl toppings, forming a marbled design.
• Chill cake uncovered overnight.
• Beat whipping cream with 2 T. confectioner's sugar( I like to add about 1/2 t. unflavored gelatin to the whipping cream to keep it from separating)until stiff peaks form.
• Pipe cream in a decorative pattern around the edge of cake( I just use a spoon to arrange dollops of whipped cream around the edge) and garnish with lemon wedges and mint leaves.
• *NOTE: The last time I made this I omited the sour cream topping and just smoothed the lemon curd over the entire cake top, using about 2 cups of lemon curd. Then I decorated the edge of the cake with the whipped cream and lemon slices/mint leaves.).

LEMON SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For Crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Finely grind graham crackers in processor. Add nuts; process until coarsely chopped. Add butter and lemon peel; blend using on/off turns just until crumbs are moist. Press crumbs firmly onto bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake until crust is set, about 10 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature.
• For filling:
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemonade concentrate and lemon peel in large bowl until smooth. Beat in 3/4 cup sour cream. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined. Pour filling into crust. Bake until center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 50 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile for topping:
• Whisk 1 cup sour cream in small bowl until very smooth. Whisk lemon curd in another small bowl until very smooth.
• Run small sharp knife around sides of cake. Starting at outside of edge of cake, spoon small alternating dollops of sour cream and lemon curd side by side in concentric circles atop warm cake, covering cake completely. Gently shake pan to smooth out toppings. Using tip of knife, gently swirl toppings, forming marble design. Chill cake uncovered overnight.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Spoon cream into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip.
• Run small sharp knife around sides of cake to loosen. Release pan sides of cake to loosen. Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Pipe cream in decorative scallop border around top edge of cake. Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs.

LEMON SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, mix cracker crumbs and 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir in butter. Press evenly in bottom of 8x2-inch springform pan. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in 1 1/2-quart saucepan, mix 1 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Stir in water, lemon juice and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Reserve 1/2 cup lemon mixture. Stir cream cheese and lemon peel into remaining 1 1/2 cups lemon mixture until smooth. Press plastic wrap on surfaces of each mixture (this helps prevent a "skin" forming on top). Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until cool.
• In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture; pour over baked layer. Drop reserved lemon mixture by tablespoonfuls onto cheesecake. Cut through dollops of lemon mixture, using knife, to form swirls.
• Refrigerate at least 24 hours or until set. Run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen; remove side of pan. Refrigerate any remaining cheesecake.

LEMON SWIRL CHEESECAKE WITH WILD BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Make lemon curd whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 6 minutes. Force lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide shallow dish, scraping bottom of sieve then cover surface with wax paper. Cool completely, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cooks' Notes: Lemon curd can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
• Make and bake crust. Crust (without filling) can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F Invert bottom of spring form pan (to make it easier to slide cake off bottom), then lock on side.
• Stir together crust ingredients in a bowl, then press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of spring form pan. Place spring form pan in a shallow baking pan and bake 10 minutes, then cool crust completely in spring form pan on a rack.
• Make filling and Bake Cheesecake:.
• Reduce oven temperature to 300°F Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until combined. Pour two thirds of cream cheese filling into crust, then spoon half of lemon curd over filling and swirl curd into filling with a small knife. (Avoid touching crust with knife to prevent crumbs getting into filling.) Repeat with remaining filling and curd. Bake cheesecake until set 1 1/2 inches from edge but center trembles when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes. (Center of cake will appear very loose but will continue to set as it cools.).
• Transfer spring form pan to a rack and immediately run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen. Cool completely, about 2 hours, then chill. Uncovered, at least 4 hours. Remove side of spring form pan before serving. Cheesecake can be chilled, loosely covered, up to 2 days. Cheesecake must be completely chilled before covering to prevent condensation on its surface.
• Combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Over low heat, cook mixture, mashing blueberries slightly, until sauce has reduced and slightly thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Serve warm over cooled cake.
• Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch (24-cm) spring form pan.
• Note:I will use a 8" or 6" spring form pan for a small cheesecake when we are feeling peckish and slice the cheesecake in desired thickness wrap in cling wrap of your choice and then wrap in foil freeze up to 8 weeks for maximum quality.